English

Noun

ochlocracy ‎(plural ochlocracies)

1. Mob rule; government by the masses; mobocracy. [from 1475–1485.]
   • 2016 July 1, A[nthony] C[lifford] Grayling, “Professor A C Grayling’s letter to all 650 MPs urging Parliament not to support a motion to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty”, in New College of the Humanities, archived from the original on 2 July 2016:

     Referendums are snapshots of sentiment at a given point in time. Government by referendum is government by crowd acclamation: not democracy, but ochlocracy. That is exactly why we have representative democracy. If referendums would be a poor way to decide on health and safety, air traffic control, or education, they are an exceedingly poor way to decide a matter as momentous as membership of the EU. This is and should be a matter for Parliament, taking all factors into account.

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References

1. ↑ ochlocracy. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved February 27, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ochlocracy
2. ↑ ochlocracy. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved February 27, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ochlocracy